The number of types of electronic devices that are commercially available has increased tremendously the past few years and the rate of introduction of new devices shows no signs of abating. Devices, such as tablet, laptop, netbook, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, and others, have become ubiquitous.
The functionality of these devices has likewise greatly increased. This in turn has led to increased complexity inside of these electronic devices. At the same time, the dimensions of these devices have become smaller. For example, smaller and thinner devices are becoming more popular.
This increasing functionality and decreasing size have necessitated the use of space-efficient circuit manufacturing techniques. As one example, system-in-package (SIP) modules and other similar structures may be used to increase an electronic device's functionality while reducing space consumed in the device. Reducing the space consumed in a device allows additional functionality to be included in the device, allows the device to be smaller, or a combination thereof.
These system-in-package modules may include electronic devices or components placed on a board and then sealed and encapsulated in a plastic or other material. The system-in-package modules may then be put in an electronic device along with other components and circuits. But it may be difficult for a system-in-package module to communicate with these other circuits in the electronic device. Also, interconnect structures used by the system-in-package module to communicate with the other circuits should be small to avoid losing the benefit of a reduced size that may be gained by using a system-in-package module.
Thus, what is needed are connectors that allow system-in-package modules to connect to other circuits in an electronic device in an area-efficient manner.